Bio:

Marrek was born to the Lagonn line of Glarondar, a city on the eastern border of Aglarond, on the Faerûn continent. As all Lagonns, Marrek was fated early on to enter the ranks of the The Far Hand with the sacred duty of defending and protecting Aglarond’s Southeastern border from the ever-encroaching scourge of undead Dread Legions from Thay. During his training as a youth within The Far Hand, Marrek learned the sacrifice of service when his father and elder brother where killed in the line of duty.

The patriarch Sword-Captain Morgen Lagonn and his eldest son, Footman Arren Lagonn, had finished a tour in the The Eastern Way, assisting resistance fighters with training and aid. With Aglarond’s military strength focused in the north, Glarondar’s Orders resorted to clandestine operations outside of their territory in order to help stem the increasing tide of Thayan invaders. Upon their return home, the troop encountered a band Thayan refugees, and offered an escort to Glarondar, forgoing the swift pace of veteran journeymen in order to aid the weary travelers. Along the River Lapendrar, the refugees were discovered to be a Dread Legion ruse, guiding them directly into the mouth of a scourge ambush. Outnumbered and unawares, the Lagonns were among those that fell, protecting the line of retreat. Only a pair of footman returned to Glarondar.

As the sole surviving Lagonn male, Marrek was determined to fulfill his family’s ancestral duty to the The Far Hand and wield his father’s broadsword and spear honorably. He continued his training and was discovered to be a keen leader and resourceful tactician, traits valued among Glarondar defenders. Focused solely on his duties and training, Marrek’s ability to maintain his family’s political standing had become increasingly difficult as his deployments abroad lengthened.

Marrek’s mother, Loria, never recovered from the loss of her husband and son. Her deep melancholy caused her to fall mind-sick, creating an opening for political rivals to gain control. When she finally succumbed to her illness, the Lagonn standing among the nobles of Glarondar had all but vanished.

Despite the weight of tragedy and treachery far greater than any young man should bear, Marrek’s will remained resolute. On his return, he found himself beset on all sides by rivals and his House in shambles. After laying his mother to the most proper and honorable rest possible, he took stock. Marrek found his only path to restoring the Lagonn nobility was to make his fortune in the national army. If he could serve with distinction and valor, Marrek could curry favor with the Simbarch Council itself in New Veltalar, the seat of Aglarond politics.

Marrek’s service was indeed filled with distinction. He performed many feats of valor on the northern front, expanding his battlefield expertise as well as his knowledge of the world outside of his home in Glarondar. However, it would be Glarondar that impeded his every accomplishment. Marrek underestimated the reach and strength of his rivals’ influence and was stymied at every opportunity by these political forces.

After two years of service, Marrek resigned from the army and returned to Glarondar, defeated once again by the fates. With no clear future in the place of his birth, he entrusted the remains of his House to the few friends he had left and set out to start a new legacy for the Lagonns, in a new land.

The battlefield was Marrek’s only solace. He headed east to the broken wastes that buffered Glarondar from the Thay, and joined the resistance group that his father had assisted. During this time he learned much from the unique tactics the freedom fighters had developed. During a night raid on a slaver convoy, Marrek met his most trusted companion.

With ferocious haste, the ambushers fell the slavers on watch and quickly moved on to their sleeping comrades. The maneuver was not wholly accomplished by stealth, as half of the slumbering slavers were alerted by frightened caravan livestock. During the melee, Marrek freed a shackled young gnoll bearing the scars of many beatings. Marrek urged the gnoll, named Gnasc, to flee but the gnoll seemed dazed and rattled. Marrek turned to rejoin the fight but spun back on his heel at the sound of a feral cry. His eyes captured the image of the fallen slaver lifting a small crossbow, raising to aim at Marrek’s chest. Just as the slavers aim came to rest on its target, a snarling blur of claws and fur came crashing down on him. Gnasc and Marrek fought side by side until the last slaver was sundered. Marrek and Gnasc have been fighting side by side ever since.

The savage reputation of the Gnolls runs deep in the veins of the many native races of Thay. Before tensions brought on by Marrek’s new compatriot could boil over, they left the resistance group for new lands.